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@Mae: Is that the ONLY hospital the doctor delivers at? Usually they are affiliated with more than one?

There is only one hospital in our town for non-military, so all doctors deliver there.

I had several hospitals to choose to deliver at, but I chose the closest (about 20 minutes away, no traffic). The OB/GYN practice affiliated with that hospital is conveniently located, which is great now that I'm on weekly appointments. It doesn't hurt that the hospital just completed a total renovation of the labor/delivery and maternity wards, so everything is brand spankin new!

I didn't have a choice. My OB was affiliated with one hospital, so that's where I delivered. Their practice and the hospital were/are roughly 45 minutes from our house and it wasn't a big deal.

first, congratulations!! that is a tough decision. i ended up switching OBs around 20-something weeks because i moved. you can switch whenever you want--things happen. i'm sure you and the doctor would prefer to have as long of a relationship as possible before delivery, but i think switching around the 12-week mark is plenty of time (in case you do decide to change).

@mae: My doctor only delivered at one hospital, since it was literally across the street from his office. The hospital is 10 min from my office, but it's about 40 min away from my house. That being said, I love my doctor and I'm so glad I stayed with him rather than picking a different doctor just so I could be closer to home. My husband went home each day and night to let the dogs out (and our families helped as well). And it was only for a couple of days.

@Mae: no. Where I live, there are three hospital to deliver at and they're all close to one another. It would have been a 45 minute drive no matter what. I liked my OB and this hospital best and switching has never crosse my mind.

I would suggest staying with your doctor. Most of the time with first babies labor lasts quite a while. So it's unlikely that you'll be in a situation where it's rush hour and you need to go to the hospital RIGHT now. So in all likelihood you'll be able to do the drive in twenty minutes and that's really not that bad of a drive. My hospital was 15 minutes away and I thought that was quite convenient really.

My doctor was located close to where I worked, which was much for convenient for appointments, because I could go on my lunch break. The problem... I work an hour from home. We drove an hour while I was in labor to get to the hospital, and while it wasn't the most fun ride, it was certainly doable. I would make the same choice again.

I chose to deliver at the hospital I did because it has a great NICU and my SIL delivered there, and raved about the satellite clinic in our town. When I first got pregnant I lived 5 minutes from the clinic, but we moved about 40 minutes away when I was 6 months pregnant. We ended up about 20 minutes from the hospital, though.

I still went to all of my appointments with my midwife at the satellite clinic. It was a pain to drive so far for just a quick checkup but we loved her, so it was worth it.

(My midwife does not have delivery privileges at the hospital, so unless I had a scheduled induction I would not know the OB who delivered, and I didn't, but he was awesome.)

I had no choice. My doctor only delivers at one hospital. The "baby factory" hospital is actually closer to our house, but I the one I delivered at was still only 20 mins away.

I already switched my insurance to ensure I can deliver at a specific hospital even though I'm not even pregnant. The hospital is close to my work, but at least 40 minutes away from my home with no traffic. I picked a new doctor earlier this year based upon affilitation with the specific hospital that I like.

I didn't have an OB when I found out I was pregnant. But, I knew I wanted to deliver at 1 of 2 hospitals near me. I did some research on OBs and they only deliver at 1 of the 2 hospitals, so it basically made my decision for me. I was leaning toward that hospital anyways, so win win.

You have plenty of time to research and switch if you want to. Seeing one doctor for the first trimester and someone else later on wouldn't be a big deal, assuming you weren't high risk and everything was going smoothly.

I just chose the hospital my OB regularly delivers at. It turns out its one of the best "mom friendly" hospitals in the area. I really didn't have a preference, except that I knew I didn't want to deliver at the teaching hospital here.

It is about 20 minutes away (45 mins with traffic also) but we knew that if I did need to go during rush hour, we would just drive on the shoulder/get escort.

We knew we were going to deliver to the hospital closest to our home (luckily, it's a great Baby-Friendly certified hospital, and one of my friends worked there and was my delivery nurse!).

@Mae: some moms don't like teaching hospitals because interns usually come in with the dr and are all there, watching you get checked... or trying to start your IV and failing time and time again.

Luckily for me, I have a GREAT birthing hospital right by my house (less than 10 minute drive), so I didn't really have to do any choosing.
I did miss the new birthing suites by 2 months though!

I picked my doctor first, and the hospital choice was made after that. I actually briefly thought about switching doctors, but I am confident that I made the right choice by staying with the practice! I've heard good things about the hospital, and I've had great care in the ER, so I'm hopeful. It's super close to our house, but we're in the middle of the medical campuses, so distance was not a factor in our decision.

Good luck with the choice! FWIW, if I were still living in my hometown, I would have been going to a hospital 40 minutes away, because it's the best! Then I would have for sure picked my OB (because I didn't have an OB/GYN there) based on whether he/she delivered at that hospital as well as other factors.